No English? “Nothing happens,” answers Spanish opposition leader

The leader of the Spanish opposition, the conservative Alberto Nuñez Feijóowhom polls see as the favorite to become prime minister, admitted on Thursday that he does not speak English but he assured that “nothing happens” because there are translators at the summits.

“My problem is English… I have to start studying it, it’s my obligation”he said in an interview on Telecinco television, the first since his Popular Party (PP) won a great victory in the municipal and regional elections on Sunday.

“I just had the teacher for English as of last Monday and it turns out that now they call me elections! So no problem”he added. “The important thing in international summits, which are normally done with a translator, is that you know very well what I want to say”sentenced.

On Monday morning, the Prime Minister, Pedro Sánchez, whose ruling Socialists suffered a setback at the polls on Sunday, surprised the country by calling early legislative elections for July 23, when Spain will assume the rotating presidency. of the European Union a little earlier, on July 1.

During the regional election campaign, Feijóo went viral when he was recorded by a camera mispronouncing the name of American rock legend Bruce Springsteen, calling him “Bruce Sprinter” during a party rally.

Pedro Sánchez is the first president of the Spanish government who speaks English fluently. His predecessor, conservative Mariano Rajoy, dismissed a question in English from the BBC at a news conference in 2017 with a sneer.

“Man no”Rajoy responded to the British media journalist, despite having been receiving private English classes since 2009, when he became leader of the opposition.

Source: AFP